Positive and Negative Characteristics of Active Social Policies Through the Example of the Program 'From Social Support to Employment'

The importance of active social policies on the labor market for economic development is underlined during past years but there are some questions regarding assessments of their impacts and effectiveness. In the Republic of Bulgaria the implemented programs and measures for qualification and employment embrace a comparatively great number unemployed persons but despite that they are still insufficient on the background of the huge unemployment in the country. The proof of the effectiveness of the implemented programs and measures for employment and qualification is among the main factors for increasing the amount of money for active policies. For example the conclusions from the assessments made on the implemented programs and measures from previous years are the basis for the development of new programs and measures and the overall optimization. For comparison: in 2003 the money planned in the national budget for active policies are three times more than for the previous year. The critical notes towards the principles and the ways of organization of previously organized employment programs could be summarized in the following directions: 1) Only temporary employment is provided and after finishing the financing or the job the hired are again unemployed. 2) A permanent selection of non-qualified activities is offered - cleaning, planting and afforestation, communal infrastructure sustenance, etc. which on one hand arises of the lack of qualification of the hired, but on the other they are not attractive and repel the unemployed, do not at any extent support acquisition of concrete professional skills which could support the realization on the labor market. 3) Qualification is not offered nor through practice, neither through qualification and training courses. 4) Some negative and discriminatory attitudes exist among private employers when the unemployed are from the group of the gipsies